I had the great opportunity to meet many of my family members in Chicago for a wedding. I attended this event knowing only my sister but being familiar with everyones name from the family chart. I met my third cousins and their children for the very first time and was really happy to know that I am related to some very nice people. Not surprised but knowing the stress level of a wedding can make some people a little short. Not my family. This was a side of the family that was from my mother’s father’s side. She did not know they existed since she thought the family members had not make survived the camps in World War 11. They found us when she published her life story. This was a really special weekend. I now have a face to go with the names. And now am thinking about creating new memories with these people. It is great that I have that choice too.
We do not have the same kind of history as with the first cousins from my father’s side that I grew up with. My first cousins have stories about each other that we can tell the next generation. Some of these stories are funny and some not but these stories are repeated each time we met at family events as adults now. We were sweet kids and not very smart then. Now as adults we are the brightest people on the planet.
Each one of us have the opportunity to give a story with our name on that genealogical chart. If we write our stories then we give the depth to the chart and let other family members in generations to come to get to know us. It is a great gift as I can tell you meeting the family members that were just names!
